


The Past

by FallzVentus



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Comfort, Gen, Nightmares, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Recreational Drug Use, Spoilers, episode 14, episode 16
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-29
Updated: 2018-04-29
Packaged: 2019-04-29 11:02:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14471280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FallzVentus/pseuds/FallzVentus
Summary: Caleb is having difficult time staying asleep. The fire plagues every moment his eyes are shut. Maybe if he got some air, he'll be okay. Maybe a certain tiefling can put his mind at ease.





	The Past

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!! My first time writing Caleb and Molly together. I really love their dynamic and their potential relationship (platonic or not). Molly's drug experience really inspired this and I realized that the two are kinda of two sides of the same coin in a way. This is me exploring that. Thank you so much to my friend Arsenic for going over this story for me when I had a really bad headache. You're the best!! 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this story!

Caleb gasped as he shot up awake. Sweat soaked through his hair and dripped onto his forehead. He looked behind him to see some of his bodily residue seeped through the pillow as well. He took a trembling hand and ran it through his drenched locks. He looked around and saw that Nott was still asleep. Good. He did not want to awaken his goblin friend.

Air. He needed some fresh air. He slowly slipped out of his bed and made his way out of the Leaky Tap. The cold air of Zadash approached him in droves. His body began to lax as he stared off into space. The dreams were always the worst. Everything felt too real even when it wasn’t. The fire still burned. The screams were still overwhelming. The pain was still very real. Even in the safety of his own bed. 

He released a shaking breath. He came out here to be at ease; not to remember. He looked around for a distraction and happened to notice a purple devilish tail hanging from above. He looked up and saw Molly sitting on the roof looking at the stars.

“Molly?” Caleb said trying to get the tiefling’s attention. He received no reply. “Molly!” Still no answer. The wizard sighed and took another look around. Off to the side were a pile of crates. He carefully stacked them up and made his way up to the roof. Molly would still not react to him. He made his way closer and looked in the tieflng’s eyes. They were heavily dilated.

“Molly are you high?!” the wizard yelled. Molly blinked and finally acknowledged the wizard’s presence. 

“Is that you Caleb?” he said with a chuckle. “You look like peacock when I’m like this.” Caleb sighed. 

“How did you even get up here?” Molly hummed. 

“I can’t seem to remember at the moment.” 

“Okay, we should get you back inside.” The tiefling shook his head and backed away in defiance. 

“But there are so many fun things to see out here. Let me enjoy my bad decisions.” Caleb sighed and blopped himself right next to the blood hunter. 

“Fine, but I’m going to stay right here to make sure you don’t hurt yourself.” Molly shrugged. 

“That’s fair.” 

The two members of the Mighty Nein sat in silence. Caleb looked at the stars while Molly looked at whatever illusions he found interesting. Caleb slowly turned his head to watch the tiefling. He looked very happy. He seemed at peace. 

“I thought you weren’t going to have anymore of those mushrooms,” he said to fill the silence. 

“I wasn’t, but then I grew curious as to how a night in Zadash would look like if I was under their influence. So, here I am.” 

“But you felt terrible after you first took them.” 

“Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.” 

“Like Frumpkin?” Molly looked at Caleb before suddenly laughing. 

“That’s a good one. You should really take up comedy.” 

The laughter died down and silence hovered over them once more. Caleb slowly started to relax with Molly’s presence. The tiefling just had a calming aura around him. The dream seemed less real. It was as if that it was all it really was. A dream. 

“So, you know why I am out here. What about you?” 

“Vas?”

“What brings you on a night out in the lovely city of Zadash?” Caleb turned away. So much for calm. 

“Just a bad dream. That’s all.” 

“What kind of dream?”

“I rather not speak of it.” 

“You can trust me. Well, to some degree.”

“No. Really. It’s fine.” 

“Is it really? You’re not here after all.” Caleb remained silent. Molly sighed. “Fine. I won’t pry. I know when not to prod for answers.” 

Silence took over. This one was more tense than ever. Caleb tried to focus on something, but the dream just wouldn’t leave his mind. He slowly curled into himself. 

“The past.” 

“Hmm?” 

“It was a dream about the past.” 

“Bad memories.”

“Ja.” 

“Must be terrible. I’d give advice but I have no bad memories to fall back on. Well, besides climbing out of the grave. That one’s not very pleasant.” 

“I would think not.” The two chuckled and looked to the sky. The air was tense, but not as much as before. The city was beautiful in and outside of drug induced illusion. Caleb looked down at his feet. 

“I envy you sometimes.” he mumbled. 

“Oh?”

“You were able to forget everything. Your mistakes. Your nightmares. Your heartache. You remember none of it and was able to start to start anew. I wish I could do that. Then the pain... wouldn’t exist.” Molly hummed. 

“When you put it like that, it sounds like the greatest thing in the world, but there is still a type of pain.” 

“Oh?” 

“I have no happy memories either. No loves. No joyous occasions. I remember nothing. I have no past to shape me as a person.” Molly faced Caleb. His red eyes were less dilated. “I have no bad decisions to base my good ones off of. No nightmares that make cherish the good dreams. When I popped out of that grave as Molly, I had to create this person based on nothing. No childhood. No parents. No life lessons. Nothing. This person has yet to be fully shaped.” 

“...Is that why you make your bad decisions now?” 

“I heard being young and reckless was nice. I want to give it a try.” Caleb smiled and got closer to Molly. 

“Well, I’ll be happy to help build up your past.” Molly smiled back. 

“Thanks.” 

The comforting silence returned. The two looked at the sky. One saw stars while the other saw floating fish and bubbles of odd shapes.

“Your past does not define you, Caleb; only helps you shape who you are today,” Molly said. Caleb leaned his head onto the tiefling out of exhaustion.

“I’ll try to remember that.” the wizard said sleepily. He slowly closed his eyes and surrendered himself to the darkness of sleep. Molly chuckled as he watched him. He seemed to finally be at peace for the night. The drugs finally wore off. The stars shined their normal hue. Everything around him was hazy. Perhaps it was time to go to bed. 

The tiefling slowly stood and picked up the sleeping wizard. Carefully, he made his way down into the silent streets of Zadash and entered the tavern that has served as their home in this city. There at one of the tables sat Jester. She was making more pamphlets for The Traveler. She looked up at them. 

“What are you doing up? What happened to Caleb?” she asked tilting her head curiously. Molly grinned. 

“Oh you know. Just another wild night in Zadash.” he said and headed up the stairs. 

A wild night indeed.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope I get to expand on their relationship in fanfic form more as the campaign goes on. Of course what I write isn't canon but I like being inspired by canon events. Let me know if I'm missing some tags so I can properly add them. 
> 
> Anyway! Have a good night!


End file.
